Shashi Deshpande- as I have said in my earlier reviews, is one of my favorite author. So I love her work irrespective of what she writes. She is one of those writers who not only inspires me to read more but inspires me to write as well.

‘If I die today’ her Crime fiction is set in the midst of medical premises. Calling it a pure crime fiction does not seem right as it also throws light on relationships and how they become stale as time passes by. There is also no specific detective to find out the real culprit except for Manju a Pathologist’s wife who also happens to be the narrator of this story, and what an reliable and honest narrator she is! She spares none not even herself. That’s what I love about Manju. Its from her point of view that we see various character come in to picture, out of all one of the most interesting character we meet is Guru, a cancer patient who is awaiting his death with all his heart.

Manju becomes a very close friend to Guru, she talks to him about everything and values his opinion the most. As a person who is prepared for his death Guru understands people better and reads their mind in a strange way and responds to them uprightly. That’s how people get attracted to him and confess their deep down sorrows and secrets. Problem starts when he tries to solve or set right a secret but dies before his time.

Was he killed? Who was the culprit? What was the reason behind it? Is what this story is about. Shahsi Deshpande weaves this story not just as a crime fiction, but as a story about human’s criminal mind and what goes behind it and how people who are not even part of the crime get forcefully involved. Though we know who the real culprit is in the end but we never get to know the real motive behind it. I think that’s how a human brain works some time.